72-CW-1114 BW - PARATROOPERS ON PATROL

Bundeswehr (German Bundeswehr ) was formed in 1955 and during the Cold War it was the armed force of West Germany (FRG). However, after the fall of communism in the GDR and the demolition of the Berlin Wall, it became the armed force of a reunified Germany. Its land component is, of course, land forces (German Heer). In the course of the Cold War, it was seen as the first army to interact with an anticipated Soviet attack and to bear a heavy burden of counteracting the Soviet invasion. Given the small strategic depth of Germany, the importance of time and pace in the actions of the West German army was also realized. For this reason, in 1956 in the Bundeswehr, parachute troops (German Fallschirmjäger) were formed in the 1st Airborne Division, consisting of the 25th and 26th Brigades, which began training in 1958. It is worth adding that the West German parachute troops were perceived as the forces that were to delay the progress of the mechanized troops of the Warsaw Pact as much as possible. For this reason, they were equipped not only with their own universal Wiesel tracked vehicles, but above all with a very large variety of anti-tank weapons - especially anti-tank guided missiles. with cumulative heads. After 1989, and therefore after the end of the Cold War, the Bundeswehr underwent numerous reforms, and with it its airborne troops. At present, German paratroopers are concentrated in the Rapid Reaction Division composed of special forces (Kommando Spezialkräfte), two regiments of transport helicopters, a regiment of combat helicopters and the 1st Airborne Brigade consisting of two infantry regiments. The main transport helicopters are the decommissioned Bell UH-1D and the new NHI NH-90 and EC-135.